Mission:

Verdandi was on visit Tatekotan for a few first trade talks with some of the Iwa-nin that were willing to open trade borders with the land of snow not far above them. She kept her actual plans mostly secret but informed the feudal lord, both of her presence, intent of visit and the intended duration of her stay. Usually she would do so with the kage as they handled shinobi matters, but with good old Hari gone missing for quite a while Verd couldn’t connect to him but still wanted to give her courtesy in form of an official information. Verd was highly surprised as her request of stay was not only answered with a temporary permit but also a request given by the feudal lord. The earth Daimyō was in need of capable hands for something that was bothering him and he wanted to make use of this seemingly well working trade agreement that was still active between Kiri and Iwa. Considering Verdandi’s latest position within the political chess board of the nations she could not deny such a high-profile request. She was pretty certain that he was just using the political circumstances to get some of the dirty work done that was troubling him. But Verd didn’t mind to be put on the chess board here as she was promised proper compensation and a free visit to Iwa’s capital. Dandi would leave most of her men at Tatekotan’s shore, along with her ship and leave the further trade negotiations to her captain for now.

She would hire a simple carriage without cattle to pull the wagon. The stable master in Tatekotan was rather confused at her request but eventually, he would realize that Verd had brought her own… pull-animal. Avalanche followed after her on every step as per usual. The bear had been covered in some brown rags as his white fur was overly eye-catching. He still stood out by far due to his size and yet there was no one that really seemed to dare complain about the bears presence. As Verd strapped the wagon in against his saddle. She would signal her squad members on her radio to meet her at Tatekotan’s gates for departure. Avalanche casually tugged the carriage there as if its weight was but a feather to him. The bear having already done such tasks multiple times for much heavier constructs and hence used to it. At the gates. Arrow, Blade and Hammer, the ice princess trusty little squad of Yuki-nin. Were waiting in ragged clothes, disguised as casual soldiers. Each carrying their primary weapon of choice that they had their names for. They used hoods to disguise their faces. The ANBU masks weren’t needed here, they would only draw unwanted attention later. They boarded the wagon with Dandi and let themselves be pulled in the luxury of Avalanche’s favor as the bear casually trotted off with his passengers off towards the west.

It would take a few days. Including rest, consume of rations, camping in the woods or near the rocky streets and passing through various little towns that they could use to re-supply their needs. Avalanche was a tireless creature and would even walk through long hours into the night before he seemed in need of a nap himself. Quickly pressing the groups advance towards their desired goal. Once they would arrive in Nakatsu, Verd would make sure to keep her darling bear and her support off tracks. Leaving them behind at the inn near the capital’s entrance. Her letter of invitation from the feudal lord himself got them quickly through the entrance and allowed the five of them to put their very first glances onto the huge village that was but home to Tsuchi no Kuni’s finest and richest. The Lord himself was not to meet Verd in person. Instead he would send his messenger, his captain, his extension of his will for this mission. Dandi had been put in clear that she was but a helping hand to this person and to follow their instructions at all times. Seeing herself as an only temporary welcome guest, Verd would make sure to not put any strings of Kiri and Iwa on the line here so she was more than ready to just play her part in this. Their point of meeting was not far away from the inn where her men were taking a rest and Ava would get a well-deserved nap in the stables, boy gonna eat half the ration chamber.

Verd would head towards a little hill that was quite the outlook onto the capital. Here she was to meat her partner. Verd was curious as to whom that might be. She kept her ragged soldier robe covering her ninja gear below. The only hint of her persona being the legendary weapon on her waist. Something only a very very well-trained eye could spot at all.


800

“And the council have appointed her?” The young women would nod, almost gravely so before continuing, “Though suspicions were held about her and for some, still remain, other than knowing little of her residency past the hospital and so few records of her past, having only the records of her time during the academy, testing results and behaviour reports. She is faithful and seems to do all that she can to protect Iwagakure no Sato and Tsuchi no Kuni included.” The pause between the two would last but a moment before the audible sigh could raise from the Dynamo’s throat, “Very well. Send them in.” The young women would usher forwards before sliding the door along.

Stood before them cloaked and mask would be four anbu yet. The confusion creasing their brow would be evident enough even more so with the pause as the four stepped over the threshold. Elevating the confusion, Taeru would roll slightly to her right to topple from the rafters above, catching the beam before allowing her form to right before dropping. Her movements almost silent as her knees bent upon the impact. Clearing her throat she would rise to her full height before stepping to the Dynamo’s left side, speaking up in the process, “My lord, you requested us” A rhetorical question of course, yet such would still earn a small yip from the young girl, the feudal lord however seemed more irritated than anything else. “You are the individual leading this group. I see you scouted out first.” Yet his gaze would not meet her mask. Taeru’s form would slowly dip into a bow, yet not lowering further than the sternum before raising, “I see I have caused offense, such was not my intention.” Waving the moment away the Dynamo would simply walk past her before taking a seat. Her form would twist to follow the dynamo’s movement, turning away from the others within the room. Within her movement her right hand would rise to shift her mask over, exposing the right side of her face for the Dynamo to see before clearing her throat to draw his attention up once again.  The pause that followed again would be minuscule as thoughts danced within the dynamo’s mind as recognition crossed his features “I know your reasons for paranoia... Mameha.” Taeru would give a minuscule nod at his use of her anbu given name. “Iwagakure no Sato will play host to ‘guests’ from Kiriagakure no Sato. I have given them permission to enter the lands of Tsuchi no Kuni.” putting a deep emphasis on the word ‘guests’ she would nod, her piercing yellow orb set upon him unwaveringly. “There is not only surveillance to be done but it is requested and advised that you personally will be assigned to assist in a mission with said guests, it is only now that I agree that it should be you.” Leaning over to one side the Dynamo would retrieve a scroll from a box on the table beside the chair, the box holding at the very least two seals from what she would see. Stepping over to retrieve the scroll the others would step back and remain so even as she stood before the feudal lord. Deliberately she would open the scroll remaining close as she read through before taking a single step back-ward to hold the scroll out. One of her masked comrades would step forwards taking one end before a small surge of chakra pumped into the paper and then into Taeru’s hand, upon the release of the scroll the masked individual would step back into the ranks allowing the paper to seem to melt away before their very eyes as its contents seemed to melt into the flesh of Taeru. Her head would tilt a touch to one side as she spoke up, recapturing the Dynamo’s attention even as he flinched at the sight of the mask as it was slipped back into place, “My lord, the tasks shall be taken good care of, as always.” She would lean into a bow once again, just as before. The others would incline their heads before slipping from the room, Taeru however would within the distraction, return to the roof before slipping out the way she had come, leaving behind only questions and her thick sickly sweet scent.  

Slipping from the rooftops and back away from the building she would travel out alone until reaching the rest of the squad once more. Without a word they would huddle with Taeru at their center, each placing a hand against her, save for her second in command as her second waited for them all to be read before placing their hand against her. Just as before the surge of chakra would slip through Taeru’s form for a moment before exiting to travel into the others, carrying with it the basics from the scroll. Once complete they would all step back within their own space as Taeru spoke up, “You all know what to do. Watch the roads, waters, and woodlands, just watch and study them. Once you have collected as much as you can and I have met with their leade, double back and return to the village, you all know the chain of command. Disperse."  

Three days later...

Drawing the mouth bit of the pipe from her lips she would exhale before allowing her tongue to pass over the exposed section of her lips, leaving a thin layer of moisture in its wake. Her inhale however she would savour, allowing the air to fill her lungs slowly, drawing in the scents it had to offer. Her form clad in a body suit made a pitch black in colour, for the most part, being a tight fit, forming well with the anbu armour whilst ensuring that her left side from ankle right up to her jawline was completely covered, whereas the right side showed visible flesh of her chest and arm. Yet draped about her form, giving some form of cover to her chest and the area from her waist down to her thighs in a diagonal slant, was a lightweight material, its colour that of deep clotted blood, her gloves the same in colour and material. Her right glove just reaching past the bone in her wrist whilst her left hand’s glove had been specially designed to fit snuggly to the deformity of her hand, missing the space for her missing pinky digit all together, instead made as a perfect fit as though a pinky finger had never had a place within a pair of gloves, a subtle padding within to give some form of not only protection to the hand but comfort, whilst reaching up to her elbow, ensuring the flesh of her left hand and arm would be covered as it lapsed over the bodysuit itself. At each thigh a specially designed pouch would sit snugly, in the right-hand side, Tatsu would sit and the left-hand side Amai. Beneath the folds of the draped material just above her rump would sit the sheath and blade Ripa tsume whilst just below her bust, still covered by the drape of material, would be her kuni strapped into place. Three of her senbon would be nestled into the folds of her drapes, resting against her right shoulder. The other three settled within the high bun of her snow-white hair, the section of hair that would usually be classed as the ‘undercut’ however was left to hang loosely, trailing right the way down her back to brush her rump. The left side of her hair, including the left side of her fringe, would be tightly braided with dull loops entrained, attached to said loops a thin veil that would, in turn, be attached to the high collar of her bodysuit, completely covering the left side of her face from view, whilst the right side remained exposed, her cheekbones high enough that she could be considered a regal beauty with the addition of her pointed features and pale flesh, if it was not for the traces of malnutrition set deeply within her accenting the deep scar that set in a line along her upper and lower lip  the material black to match the body suit. Whilst it covered the left side of her face it would also encroach back over the side of her head to also cover her ear and though insipid for an onlooker, with the material so close to her she would see through and hear through with very little discomfort now. Standard black flat shoes had their place upon her feet whilst a morbid half decayed corpse-like mask hung at her belt line beneath the drapes of material. In all, she could be mistaken for a civilian for some at least. Only once the scent of a new arrival carried to her would her piercing yellow orb shift to its direction, oddly enough a scent she recognized from within Kaze no Kuni.

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Word count: 1510.